Device for dispensing of small quantities of liquid substances



June 30, 1959 J. LEHMANS ETAL DEVICE FOR DISPENSING OF SMALL QUANTITIESOF LIQUID SUBSTANCES Filed Sept; 14. 1956 lullaulilllilliili' \K FORDISPENSING OF SMALL QUANTI- TIES LIQUID SUBSTANCES Jean'Lehman's, LeHavre, and Jean Casteran,

" Sainte 'Adresse, France Application September 14, 1956, Serial No.610,030

priority, application France September 19, 1955 Claims. c1. 222- 20s Thepresent invention relates to devices for the dispensing of smallquantities of liquids.

It is known that practitioners of dentistry, for example, have to takesmall quantities of various products from containers, which forces themto perform onerous manipulations.

With the object of obviating this inconvenience the invention provides arecipient from which any desired quantity of a product may be sampledeasily and aseptically at will.

To this end, the device according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention comprises a receptacle containing the product to be dispensed,for example, a liquid or paste; a plunger sliding in the neck of saidreceptacle in opposition to a spring biasing it back outwardly up to anabutment member, and a duct starting from the bottom of the receptacleand issuing in the neck at such a height that the end of this duct isobturated by the plunger in the outer position thereof, and is uncoveredabove the said plunger when the latter is driven in, discharging thefluid into the duct.

In this manner, the fluid discharged into the duct by the plunger isexpelled at the upper end of the duct and provision is made according tothe invention that the top of the plunger forms a cup for collecting thefluid.

The duct in question may either be drilled into the lateral wall of thereceptacle, or it may consist in an external tube connecting twoorifices in this wall. In one case or the other, the abutment memberwhich is attached to the neck of the receptacle, for example, by meansof friction, a screw thread or a bayonet joint, is immobilized by meansof the co-operation of this fixture either with a projection of the bodyof the receptacle or with a transverse portion of the tube.

According to a modification, the device according to the invention formsat least one element of a plug independent of the receptacle containingthe fluid which permits its adaptation to various receptacles, in thiscase one may alternatively provide a tubular extension of the aforesaidduct, down to the level of the said liquid.

The invention will be more clearly understood with reference to thefollowing description corresponding to the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figures 1 and 2 are axial sections of two embodiments of a dispensingreceptacle according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly broken off, of a set for a dentist.

Fig. 4 is a part section showing the cotton wool dispensing device.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the utilization of the devices accordingto the Figures 1 and 2.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the dispenseraccording to the invention is composed of a receptacle 1 containing theliquid substance 2, and ob turated by a slidable plunger 3 capable ofbeing pushed into the receptacle in opposition to a spring 4,discharging the liquid 2; the displacement of the plunger 3 in theupward direction is limited by an abutment 5.

Two orifices, a lowerone 6 and an upper one 7, are

provided in the lateral wall of the receptacle and are con nected withone another by a duct 8. The orifice '6 ispractically always suppliedwith liquid and the orifice 7 is at such a level that when'the plunger 3is pushed'back' against the abutment 5, itobturates this orifice while"when said plunger 3 is driven in the said orifice 7 isunj coveredanddischarges some of the liquid 2 throughv the orifice 6 and duct 8, in'sucha manner that the liquid can" be dispensed from the interior of thereceptacle through; the orifice 7 on to the top of the plunger 3 which,as will" be seen, may be of a cup shape 9.

The abutment 5 consists of a sleeve forming a'bayonet" joint owing to arecess 10 cooperating with the upper-end" of the said tube 8.

In the embodiment according to Figure 2, the elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 willalso be found, but with the difierence that the spring 4 rests with itslower part on a sleeve 11 and does not dip into the liquid 2, instead ofextending right down to the bottom of the receptacle across the liquid2. Likewise, the liquid 2 passes from the lower portion 6 to the upperportion 7 through a duct 12 provided within the lateral wall of thereceptacle 1, instead of through two orifices 6 and 7 and a tube 8.Consequently the bayonet joint 10 of the abutment 5 c0- operates withthe abutment 13 of the wall of the receptacle instead of co-operatingwith the tube 8.

In these two cases, the manner of using the dispenser is substantiallysimilar, the receptacle being partly filled with liquid and pressurebeing applied to the plunger 3 by any instrument desired; consequentlyliquid is discharged through the duct 8 (or 12). At the same time theorifice 7 (or 7) is uncovered in such a manner that a small quantity ofthe said liquid can collect in the cup 9, and can be used without therisk of contaminating the rest which remains isolated by the plunger 3.

In order to fill the receptacle 1, it sufiices therefore to unlock thebayonet joint 10 and to withdraw the abutment 5. At this moment theplunger 3 is ejected by the spring 4, and the receptacle is opened.

A practitioner may be in need of several diiferent products contained inthis dispenser and one may to this elfect use a box forming a set of thekind illustrated in Figure 3, comprising an assembly container 14 thecentral compartment of which is pro-vided with openings 16 for a certainnumber of receptacles, such as 17.

Various other accessories may be provided in this outfit. In particular,a cotton dispenser is shown and designated by the general reference 18,as well as devices 19 for the making of little balls of cotton.

The device 18 is clearly shown in Figure 4, the cotton,

kept accordion-fashion at 20 in the receptacle 21 is carried alongoutwardly by means of two cylinders 23 driven by a knurled knob 24. Thusthe quantity desired may be sampled without the risk of contaminatingthe rest, the slot 25 of the strip 22 being just wide enough forallowing the passage of this band.

Finally, holes 19 of special shape are provided to give the cotton theform of a little ball or the like.

Other modifications of the embodiments of the device according toFigures 1 and 2 may be envisaged, the invention being by no meanslimited to these two embodi ments.

For example, in Figure 5 the dispensing device 26 comprising a body 27containing a spring 28 and a plunger 29 is mounted in a plug 30, whichis in turn fitted into a receptacle 31 containing the liquid 32.

The base 33 of the body 27 is perforated at 34 and a. tube 35 dippinginto the liquid 32 issues at 36 towards the upper portion of the body.

The functioning of the device is always the same, the

Patented June 30,1959:

liquidbeing discharged upwardly through the tube 35 when thetplunger 29is pressed in.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for dispensing liquid substances comprising a receptacle.for. the liquid, at. plunger slidable; in-ithe receptacie,,aspringturging the plunger outwardly from the receptacle, an abutmentmember on said receptacle limitbiock. the duct at its connection to thereceptacle at the upper of the spaced positions, said plungeruncovering; the dust at the upper position when moved into thereceptacle-todisplace the liquid into the duct at the lowerofitheconnections.

2. A' device according to claim 1, wherein, the top of the said plunger.forms a cupp to:col1 ect the-liquid dischargedthrough the duct.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said duct is positioned inthe wall of the receptacle.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said abutment member iscoupled to a projection defined by the receptacle.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said duct is an externaltube connecting two orifices defined by the receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS512,101 Eastes Jan. 2, 1894 1,223,703 La Chapelle Apr. 24, 19172,193,260 Terry Mar. 12; 1940 2,620,805 Page et a1. Dec. 9, 19522,649,096 Fuller Aug. 18, 1953

